


The Fallen

by thosewhowearplaid



Category: Supernatural
Genre: F/M, M/M, Reunions, Supernatural AU - Freeform
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-08-24
Updated: 2016-12-19
Packaged: 2018-08-10 16:57:50
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 6
Words: 14,961
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7853437
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/thosewhowearplaid/pseuds/thosewhowearplaid
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Dean Winchester always preferred to be alone during high school, excluding the company of his best friend, Castiel Novak.<br/>But he left. He left and Dean had to move on, it took him the majority of his adult life to move on - but now he was back. He was back and wanted back into Dean's life. Was it too late?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I will carry on with my other piece, I just needed something new to write. I really hope you enjoy it, thank you. 
> 
> I also haven't really proof read it, so I apologize for any mistakes.

_“Dean, I’m leaving.” Cass began, trying his hardest to swallow the lump in his throat. “I have to leave.”_

_“What? Cass, no. Please?” Dean begged, as he gripped tightly onto Cass’ forearms._

_“I have to; I don’t have a choice.” Cass whispered, as he wrapped his hands over Dean’s as he tried to escape his grip._

_Dean’s arms dropped from around Cass’, and he stared at him with wide, tearful eyes. “Please don’t leave me?”_

 

* * *

 

 “Please tell me you’re still coming?” Sam asked Dean, as Dean watched the fire in front of him burn.

“Yeah, man. I told you, I’m not letting some plane stop me from seeing my brother get hitched.” Dean replied, not taking his eyes away from the amber and crimson flames.

“Okay, good, thank you. We’ll see you then.” Sam answered happily, before ending the call and making his way back to his fiancée.

Dean sighed and put his phone down next to him on the floor. Dean was sitting on the floor, resting against an arm chair in front of the fire. The fire was burning his legs and face, but he didn’t mind; he had felt worse. The room was dark and the only source of light was coming from the illuminating fire; that was until the lights were flicked on with an angry sigh.

Dean looked to his left and saw Lisa standing in the door way of their living room with an upset Ben clinging onto her arm. One look from Ben, and Dean was already standing and on his way to his family. “What is it, what’s happened?” Dean asked protectively.

“Some boys in school are bullying him.” Lisa stated softly, as she stroked her son’s head.

“They’re not. It was just today.” Ben mumbled, as he tried to pull away from his mom.

Lisa and Dean watched as Ben miserably ran up the stairs to his room. Once they heard his bedroom door slam shut, Dean sighed and Lisa rubbed her face trying to calm her mood. “Do you want me to talk to him?” Dean asked.

“Will you?” Lisa asked hopefully.

“Sure.” Dean replied with a smile, before pulling her closer and placing a kiss on Lisa’s forehead.

Lisa drew in a breath and sighed contently, as Dean pulled away and walked up the stairs. He jumped up every two steps at a time. He loved Lisa, of course he did, but there was something missing. Something made him feel incomplete. And he couldn’t quite figure out what it was. But, he loved Ben. He loved Ben as if he was his own. He enjoyed seeing Ben’s happy face after a good day at school, but today wasn’t that day.Dean walked to Ben’s room and knocked a couple of times before hearing a quiet voice mumble, “come in.”

Dean walked in and saw Ben sitting on the edge of his bed distractedly flipping through a comic book. “Hey, buddy.” He said, as he sat next to him.

“Hey, Dean.” Ben muttered, as he stared at a picture of The Joker falling into a burning pit of acid. 

“You wanna tell me what happened?” Dean asked. Dean knew he wasn’t good at being the supportive role model, or easing into a difficult conversation – unlike Sam. Dean was only good at getting straight to the point, no small talk and no distractions; that’s what it was like at work anyway.

“Nothing.” Ben replied sadly.

“Ben, come on.” Dean said, placing his hand on Ben’s shoulder.

“They know you’re not my real dad.” Ben said quietly, as he closed his comic.

“And?” Dean asked, removing his hand.

“They don’t think it’s cool to have a step-dad.” Ben replied.

“Because they haven’t met me. I’m the coolest step-dad out there!” Dean replied loudly, as he outstretched his arms presenting himself.

Ben laughed quietly. “That’s what I said.”

“Tell you what, I’ll get off work early tomorrow and I’ll come pick you up in baby – we’ll show those sons of bitches!” Dean said enthusiastically.

“Yeah.” Ben said happily.

Dean smiled at Ben and nudged his shoulder before standing up and walking towards the door, but before he walked out he quickly turned around and pointed towards the comic book resting on Ben’s bed. “You might wanna pack that for tomorrow.”

Ben nodded and smiled once more before thanking Dean.

 

Dean walked downstairs and saw Lisa sitting on the couch, with her legs tucked up underneath her as she held a glass of red wine in her hand. Dean walked over to her and sat down next to her, extending his arm over her shoulders as she hummed contently. “What’s for dinner?” Lisa asked, as they both looked towards the illuminating flames.

“We can order some Thai?” Dean asked quietly.

Lisa smiled and nodded happily. “Do you still have to go in tomorrow?”

“Yeah, the Captain needs me in,” Dean sighed, “but I’ll be home early.”

“Good. Have you packed already?” She asked, now facing Dean.

“Just need to pack my suit.” Dean replied.

“You’re gonna look so good standing up there.” Lisa whispered, as she leaned towards Dean and placed a kiss on his lips.

“It’s my brother’s wedding, I’m not the one who’s standing up there.” He said in between kisses.

“You’re the best man.” Lisa purred against his lips.

Dean hummed and deepened the kiss, but they were soon interrupted by Dean’s ringing phone. They sighed restlessly and broke apart, Lisa watched as Dean read the unknown Caller ID. Dean furrowed his eye brows and answered the call. “Hello?” Dean asked.

“Hello, Dean.” The deep voice said.

The deep, gravelly voice rung shivers down Dean’s spine. The hairs on his arms and neck stood up as his pulse quickened, his breathing hitched and the room spun. Memories spilled into his mind, memories he had tried so hard and long to forget. Dean knew who the heart breaking voice belonged to, yet he couldn’t he admit it to himself. The voice on the other line coughed as he awaited Dean’s reply.

“Cass?" Dean whispered, as his voice cracked.

“Yes, it’s me.” Castiel replied quietly.

Dean eye’s traced back to the woman who stared at him with wide, confused eyes. Guilt was punched into his gut. He stood up shakily, and placed a kiss on Lisa’s forehead before walking out of the room with the phone pushed tightly against his ear.

“What – how – why?” Dean stammered once he was out of Lisa’s hearing range and into the garden.

“Amelia gave me your number.” Cass replied with a smile laced in his voice.

“Amelia? Amy. Sam’s Amelia?” Dean asked confused.

“Yes. I’m one of her best friends. She told me to ring you instead of surprising you at the wedding.” Cass replied.

“And Sam?” Dean asked.

“Amy convinced him not to say anything.” Replied Cass.

“Right.” Muttered Dean.

“Dean, I’m sorry if I’ve upset you, at all. I just didn’t want to bring this upon you when you least expect it at the reception.” Cass said, his voice full of regret.

“No, it’s fine.” Dean rushed, “I’m just shocked to hear your voice, that’s all. How long’s it been?” Dean asked, trying to sound enthusiastic.

“Nearly 15 years.” Cass replied guiltily. Cass knew it was a big risk ringing Dean, but he knew it was an even bigger one unexpectedly showing up in front of him. He knew that Dean had his own life now and wasn’t expecting him to welcome him back with open arms, but he just wished they would be okay again. He knew that ringing him beforehand would help Dean, but the guilt of everything that had happened between them, was eating him up inside as he spoke to the man. The man that he knew when he was a boy.

“15 years? Wow.” Dean sighed.

“Yeah.” Cass said slowly, just wanting to hear Dean’s voice. It had changed only slightly over the years.

“How have you been?” Dean asked.

“Fine, great, good. Thanks. And you?” Cass replied quickly.

“I’ve been okay.” Dean smiled.

“Good.” Cass said happily.

But before Dean could reply, Lisa shouted that their food was on its way.

“Uh, Cass, I’ve gotta go. But I’ll call you later, okay?” Dean said quickly.

“Yeah, of course.” Cass replied happily.

Dean smiled and they both stayed on the line for a few seconds, not knowing what to say or what to do before Lisa came out into the garden. “Dean, dinners here and Ben needs your help with his math homework.”

“Okay, cool. I’m coming.” Dean sighed quietly into the phone, “Bye, Cass.”

Dean ended the call and stuffed the phone into his pocket and walked back inside with Lisa.

“Was that the famous Castiel?” Lisa asked protectively, as she led Dean to the table.

Dean furrowed his eyebrows at her tone of voice and sat down at the table, he nodded slowly as the pair remained eye locked.

 

* * *

 

  _Cass and Dean had been best friends all throughout their school lives, and even remained during college. They lived on the same street all their lives until Cass moved away for University._

_However, Dean was a difficult child. The car crash that orphaned him and his brother, had a terrible effect on Dean, as his younger brother was too young to know what was going on. Well, neither of them were old enough to truly know what had happened. But Dean, being the brave little 9-year-old, took care of his younger brother, Sammy. He cared for Sam as much as he could, with the help of their Uncle Bobby._

_It was Dean who first made contact with Cass. They were both 10 years old and on their way to their first day of school, they were both so scared. Neither of them had exactly an easy childhood, as Cass had also been orphaned as a child. His mother had passed during childbirth and his father soon abandoned him along with his 3 older brothers, Gabriel, Balthazar and Michael. The 3 brothers took care of Cass, and had raised him to become the boy he was. Cass was very quiet, yet very literate. He had enjoyed watching people grow and enjoyed the human race as a whole. He was a peculiar child, yet if people got to know him, he could have been described as an angel._

_On the first day of their new school year, Dean had quickly rushed out of the house and banged straight into Castiel Novak. As in slow motion, Dean watched as the dark haired boy with glasses, fell to the floor. The boy groaned in pain as he came into contact with the floor._

_“Oh, man. I am so sorry!” Dean exclaimed, as he scrambled to help Castiel up._

_“It’s okay. I should have been watching where I was going.” Cass said, pushing his glasses into their rightful place._

_Dean scoffed and let go of Cass’ hand. “I’m Dean.”_

_“Castiel.” He replied nervously._

_Dean smiled, and noticed he was heading in the same direction he was. “You wanna walk, Cass?”_

_“Sure.” Cass said with a slight smile._

_It wasn’t until the end of high school that their bond had reached somewhat an interesting point. Dean had always known they weren’t the usual type of best friends. Something made them stronger, something made them inseparable. But, one-day Dean noticed the way Cass rubbed his newly found sweaty hands on his thighs, and how Cass stammered over his words when they stared at each other for too long, or how his touches lingered. Of course, Dean thought it was normal; yet, something in the back of his mind was telling him it wasn’t. It was telling him that something more could come out of this._

_They were sitting in the school library when Dean asked, “Cass, what are we?”_

_Cass gulped loudly at the question and his eyes looked everywhere but at Dean._

_“Cass?” Dean asked, trying to get Cass’ attention._

_“Hm?” Cass hummed, trying to keep a straight face as his pulse quickened._

_“We’re not normal. Like, normal best friends.” Dean stated as he took his sandwich out of his bag._

_“Because we’ve been friends for as long as we know, we’re more comfortable with each other than most.” Cass replied, closely watching Dean as he ate his sandwich._

_“Right.” Dean said sadly, as he looked down to the table._

_“Why, Dean?” Cass asked, examining Dean’s beautiful face._

_“Because I want to be more than just best friends.” Dean shrugged plainly, as he gulped down a bite of his sandwich._

_Cass choked on his saliva and coughed until he realized what Dean had in fact said. “Are you – did you – what?”_

_“I’m asking you out, asshat.” Dean smiled._

_“Yes. I will go out with you.” Cass said, breaking out into a smile as he looked down to his hands._

_“Good.” Dean said, trying to straighten his smile as he ate his sandwich._

_Though, unfortunately for the sandwich, Cass quickly jumped up and walked to the other side of the table, smacked the sandwich out of Dean’s hands and smacked his lips onto Dean’s. The kiss was explosive. It allowed every feeling they had for each other since they had met to explode into each other. It allowed them to be happy._


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading, I really appreciate it.   
> And, once again, I haven't proof read it so I'm sorry if there are any mistakes!

“Right, I’ve gotta go. I’ll pick you up tomorrow, okay?” Dean said, as he stood up and rubbed his hand into Ben’s hair.

“Yeah.” Ben smiled, as he put his math book away into his bag and pushed his plate towards the middle of the table.

“Be good for your mom, okay?” Dean winked at Ben, as he turned to face where Lisa sat.

He leaned down and placed a quick, but passion filled kiss on her lips. She smiled up at him once he had pulled away and watched as he walked out of the room and towards the front door.

Once Dean was safely locked in his car, his baby, he pulled out his phone and rang the number that Cass had called him off. As he listened to the tones that rang against his ear, anxiety filled his veins. He immediately regretted calling him as he came to the conclusion that he wasn’t going to answer – however, after the 8th ring, the call was picked up.

“Hello, Dean.” Answered Cass.

“Hey, man.” Dean replied, as he put the phone on loud speaker and started the car.

“Where are you going?” Cass asked curiously, as he heard the car purr.

“Off to work.” Dean laughed, as he drove.

“Are you still interested in law?” Cass asked, as he sat comfortably in his chair.

“That’s my job. Chief Detective.” Dean pronounced proudly.

“Wow, that’s fantastic, Dean. Congratulations.” Replied Cass happily.

“Thanks, man.” Dean blushed, as he thanked all the Lords that Cass could not and did not see him blush like a school girl.

“Is that – do you still have your Impala?” Cass stammered, as he recognized the hard purring of the Impala.

“Damn right, I do.” Dean laughed, beaming a proud smile.

Cass laughed and Dean’s pulse quickened. His blood rushed around his face, and he could feel every inch of his body warm up. God, he missed – No, he didn’t. He didn’t miss Cass’ laugh. He missed the friendship he had with him, yes, but he did not miss the feeling he had with him – because he now had that with Lisa. Right?

Dean cleared his throat as he dragged himself out of his thoughts, “what about you, what’s new with you?”

“I’m teaching English Literature to college students now. But, unfortunately, I do have a new car.” Cass replied happily.

“Dude, that’s awesome. I mean, the job is awesome. You always were a nerd. But, I liked your old car – the old pimp mobile.” Dean laughed breathlessly, as he recalled the gold car.

“Ha, well, I had to change a few things after I moved.” Cass replied quietly.

“Yeah,” Dean sighed. He tried to push the painful thoughts and feelings back out.

“Things I wish I didn’t.” Cass added.

“Me too, man.” Dean said quietly.

Cass scoffed happily and the tension was automatically broken. They both enjoyed the silent yet comfortable silence. Of course, that was interrupted once Cass had finally said what he had been thinking about since the end of the last call.

“You’re married.” Cass stated quietly.

“What?” Dean spluttered.

“The woman, and a kid named Ben?” He replied.

“Oh,” Dean began, “Lisa. She’s my girlfriend and Ben’s her kid.”

“So, you’re not married?” Cass asked.

“Nope – and I don’t have any of my own kids.” Dean replied, as he pulled up into the car park of the station.

“Me neither.” Cass stated.

“Good.” Dean said without thinking, as he sorted his tie and blazer. He stammered nervously once he realized what he had said, and tried to explain what he really meant; but gave up once he heard the man laugh.

“I’ve missed you, Dean.” Cass replied quietly.

“I’ve missed you too, Cass.” Dean answered, “but I’m actually at work now. I have to go, I’m sorry. My Captain would kill me if I’m late.”

“It’s okay,” Cass smiled. “We’ll speak soon, Dean. Go catch the bad guys.”

Cass smiled to himself, and ended the call. Once Dean had heard the line die, he looked at his phone and laughed. He always loved how Cass left him guessing and waiting, he didn’t know why. He looked in his rear view mirror once more, trying to fix his attire before undoing his seat-belt and getting out of the car, and carefully slamming his door behind him. He turned to face the large building in front of him, and sighed. He loved his job, of course he did. He was able to carry a gun and chase bad guys for a living, who wouldn’t love that job? But, he couldn’t be bothered for another 16-hour shift, especially on the night before he had to leave for his brother’s wedding. It was 7pm and his shift was due to end at 11am the following morning, but due to the Captain being a difficult person, he usually had to work overtime. Though this time, he had to leave before 2pm to make sure he was there to pick up Ben from school; and so they didn’t miss their flight. He took in a deep breath and closed his eyes, before opening them again and walking towards and into the building.

 

 

“Winchester.” The Captain boomed, sending shivers down Dean’s spine.

Dean spun around in his chair quickly, to face the doorway where the Captain stood, “Ma’am?” He asked nervously.

The Captain was a very beautiful woman, with wavy blonde hair and was one of the youngest Captain’s in the city. She had been a close family friend since they were kids, and that was mainly the reason why and how Dean had gotten the job so easily.

“Why haven’t you left yet?” Jo Harvelle asked.

“Why, what’s the time?” Dean asked, scrambling around for his watch or phone.

Jo rolled her eyes mockingly and raised her watch to her eyes. “Half 1.”

Dean cursed rather loudly, and quickly jumped out of his chair. He grabbed his blazer off the back of his chair, before spinning his chair around and back under his desk. He looked at the open file on his desk and sighed, before grabbing it and throwing it into his bag which was now around Dean. “Grabbed my interest, I wanna read this on the way.” He murmured to Jo.

Jo nodded and crossed her arms. “Hurry, Dean. You don’t wanna miss your flight. I’ll see you at the wedding and we can talk about it then.”

“Yes, Ma’am.” He nodded and squeezed her forearm before running out of his office and down to the exit of the building, and to his car.

 

After a quick stop at a diner, Dean was sitting in his car waiting outside of Ben’s school. He was a few minutes earlier than expected, so he decided to read the case file he had brought with him; he sighed contently as he let his work overpower him. Once he had heard the school bell, he put the file down and turned on the radio, the volume was only a few notches from the maximum; he watched as he kids pooled out of the school and turned to look at Dean. Dean smiled knowingly and waited for his son. Eventually, from what Dean remembered, he saw the popular clique leave the school. They all had leather jackets, which Dean had been wearing as a replacement for his suit blazer, with sunglasses. The teenage girls drooled over them, and the teenage boys wanted to be them. And soon enough, Ben was out too. Ben was as at the back of the crowd, as everyone wanted to wait and see who Dean was there to pick up. Once Ben saw Dean, his smile shone brighter than it ever had. He pushed his way to the front, and walked to the car. Dean got out of his car to greet him and walked around to where Ben was, as he stood a few steps away from the crowd.

Dean reached in his pocket and handed Ben $50. “This is for you, there’s more at home.”

Ben took the money reluctantly and smiled at Dean, “Thanks, Dean.”

“Oh, and Maggie wanted to know if you were busy when we get back? She’s excited to see you again, man. I don’t know what you did, but damn it worked.” Dean winked. 

Everyone who stood in the crowd gaped at Ben in amazement. Some even nodded their heads and whistled in agreement. As some started to walk home, a couple patted Ben’s back in appreciation and respect.

Dean smiled at Ben, and they both made their way inside the car. “I’m keeping this, by the way.” Ben smiled, as he held up the money once they were safely locked inside their car.

“Sure thing.” Dean smiled, before starting the car.

 

“Lis, come on! We can’t miss this flight.” Dean shouted up the stairs.

 “Hang on!” She shouted back, irritated.

Dean sighed from the stress and rubbed his eyes. “Never get a girlfriend, man.” He said teasingly to Ben.

Ben laughed and took his suitcase out to the cab. “Mom, come on.” He yelled, before he went outside.

Lisa sighed loudly and quickly ran down the stairs to join Dean, with a suitcase and a carry on in hand. “Ready.” She said happily.

Dean rolled his eyes mockingly, and took the bags from her before exiting the house and watched as Lisa locked the door – and then watching her double check the door was locked.

 

* * *

 

 

_“So, our first date. Any ideas?” Dean asked, as he drove Cass home._

_“You’re the one who asked me out, Dean, you should have thought about this.” Cass replied mockingly, as he faced Dean._

_Dean rolled his eyes sarcastically. “Movie and a drink?”_

_“I’d like that.” Cass smiled._

_Dean looked quickly towards Cass and smiled, before he looked back to the road. “So, basically a normal Saturday night for us?”_

_“Yeah, but this time…” Cass began, putting his hand over Dean’s as he changed the gears, “we can do this.”_

_Dean laughed, “yeah, that is better.”_

_Cass laughed and removed his hand, before looking out of his window. “When are we going on this date then?”_

_Dean didn’t reply for a moment as he thought. “Tonight?”_

_“But we have school tomorrow?” Cass said, looking back to Dean._

_“Fine. Tomorrow instead?” He said, knowing it was a Friday the following day._

_Cass smiled, “sure.”_

_Dean’s lips tugged at the sides, as he tried to remain upholding his cool demeanor, “cool.”_

_Cass scoffed at his reply and his failed attempt of hiding his smile, “you are allowed to smile, you know? I won’t tell anyone.” He mocked._

_The night arrived very slowly for the pair. The 2 boys were full of anxiety and fear; they had never been on a date with someone of the same sex – let alone their best friend. They both also feared the worst, that this newly-found relationship would ruin their original and comfortable one, the one with the lingering looks and touches, the one where they were just friends. The boys were scared that they could ruin their 7 years of friendship. Everything was happening so quickly, one day they were just friends and then the next Dean had unexpectedly asked Cass out, lost his sandwich and kissed each other. Dean knew it was a big risk asking Cass out, but he had to do it. He had to prove to himself and Cass, too, that they could be more than just friends; that they meant more to each other than any other girl and guy could. And that thought and mindset was one of the reasons why Dean was able to limit the anxiety inside of him as he got ready that Friday night._

_Dean rubbed his sweaty hands against his thighs once more, before taking a deep breath. “Relax Dean,” his Uncle Bobby said, as he gripped onto Dean’s shoulder tightly as they stood in the corridor._

_He swallowed the lump in his throat, and looked up to Bobby with wide, scared eyes. “What if it goes wrong?” He asked._

_“It won’t go wrong, it’s you two.” Bobby said loudly, smiling._

_Dean scoffed, and gathered his thoughts. He looked down to the floor and smiled slightly. “Yeah, it’ll be fine,” he muttered to himself._

_Bobby released his grip from around Dean’s arm, “go on, then. You’ll be late,” he said proudly._

_Dean’s heart raced and his mind fogged, but he nodded and turned to the door. He once again rubbed his hands against his thighs and took a deep breath, before eventually opening the door. He allowed the cold air to fill his senses, as it calmed his nerves. Dean slowly stepped outside and made his way to the car. But, before he opened his car door with his shaking hands, Bobby, who still stood in the doorway watching Dean, cleared his throat to grab the man’s attention. “1, the latest. Okay?” Bobby said loudly, as Dean turned back around to face the older man._

_“Yes, sir.” Dean replied, before getting into his Impala._

_It took him a few seconds to actually realize what was happening again, before starting the car. The car purred and the radio boomed AC/DC, instantly calming Dean. He smiled to himself as he thought of Cass, before pushing his foot down on the gas pedal. He watched Bobby in his rear-view mirror as he drove out of his front yard, and onto the road._

_As he drove, the only thing that calmed his nerves was the booming sound waves that exited his radio speakers. He knew he had to calm down, but just the thought of being with Cass, and being able to be someone who was more than a friend to him, just caused palpitations. The anxiety was eating him up inside, and his whole body shook with fear. Soon, the only thing he was able to do was to pull up outside of Cass’ house._

_Dean took a deep breath, before cutting the engine, unbuckling his seat-belt and getting out of the car. He fixed his hair a little as he walked up to the door of Cass’ home. Once he reached the door, his heart felt as if it was going to explode, and his head was pounding with all his worries and fears. But, once the door was opened and Cass came into Dean’s view, every fear and every worry that invaded his whole body, disappeared._

_Cass wasn’t wearing his glasses and he wore a different aftershave than usual, and he invaded each and every cell in Dean’s body. Dean scanned Cass and it took everything in him not to kiss him, or even just hug him. Cass wore a plain grey tee, tight black jeans and a dark grey trench coat. “Wow, you look…wow.” Dean said breathlessly, as his eyes flickered back to Cass’._

_“Thanks,” Cass replied nervously, looking down to the floor. “You too.”_

_Dean jumped up and rubbed his hands together to hide them as he shook, though it didn’t fool Cass. “Right. Let’s go, then.”_

_Cass chuckled and nodded. They both stared at each other for a few seconds before Dean broke it with a smile, and rubbed the back of his neck. The pair laughed and made their way to the Impala. “You are allowed to be nervous, you know? I won’t tell.” Cass teased, once they were both seated in the car as they belted themselves in._

 


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I will proof-read it one day, I promise!

Dean was shot awake with the sudden movement of the plane, his hand gripped tightly around his leg as he eagerly wished he was back on the ground. His head spun and his stomach churned, but he knew it was too late to back out. They were already in the sky in the _metal death contraption_ , on their way to California – to Sam’s wedding. Thinking of his younger brother took Dean’s mind off the plane and how high up in the sky they were. His mind eased a little, and his grip around his leg loosened. Dean remembered how Sam thought that Batman was someone who could fly and the only way to prove that was for himself to try – resulting in him breaking his arm as he fell off a roof. Dean chuckled under his breath and finally allowed himself to ease at the idea of being in a plane, as he knew he was going somewhere good, somewhere where he can be happy and see the person he loved most in the world; his younger brother, Sammy.

Lisa, who sat next to Dean, noticed the sudden shift in Dean’s mood and demeanor. She turned to her right to face him, and intertwined her hand with his. “You okay?”

Dean looked at the woman who’s hand he held, “yeah. Just thinking ‘bout Sammy.”

“You sure you’re not just scared of flying?” Lisa teased.

“Come on, you said you were gonna help distract me.” Dean said quickly, unclasping his hand from Lisa’s and using both of his hands to rub his face. 

Lisa laughed and shook her head, before resting her head on Dean’s left shoulder. Dean had the aisle seat, to help ease his fear, but it just made him feel more claustrophobic. However, they did luckily only have 30 minutes of the flight left. As Dean sat there, wishing for the time to speed up, his mind wandered to Cass – which he desperately did not want to do. He thought about how easy it was for Cass just to leave his life, and how easy it was for him to walk straight back into it. All the memories of what Cass did pool into his mind, and God how he wanted it to stop. Every painful memory was relived in that simple half an hour. Dean knew, he just knew, that the week was going to get harder and harder; and there was no way for him to stop it.

 

“Thank fuck.” Dean whispered to himself as he exited the boarding platform of the plane. He had to resist the urge to kiss the ground, as he knew it would embarrass his family – and himself. He wrapped his arms around Lisa as he silently thanked her for helping him. Ben looked at the pair with a sickly smile stretched upon his face. “The bags?” Ben asked.

The pair pulled apart and faced the boy, and smiled at him. “Sure, kid.” Dean said, as he joined hands with Lisa, and ruffled Ben’s hair. Ben smiled up at him, and quickly turned around to walk to where they needed to collect their bags. The adults followed him and watched how excited Ben was as he danced around the people in his way.

Soon enough, they had their bags and were on their way to the exit of the airport. They weren’t expecting a pick up from anyone, so they weren’t on the lookout of any familiar faces. That was, however, until they were a few steps away from the exit door. “Dean!” A voice shouted.

Dean spun around to find who the voice belonged to, and saw a very tall man huffing towards him. Dean laughed to himself and dropped his bags on the floor, he walked quickly towards the man and they were soon standing directly in front of each other. Dean was the first to make any physical contact, as he wrapped his arms tightly around the tall man. They chuckled into each other and hugged for a good minute or so. Once they pulled apart, Dean rested his hand on the taller man’s shoulder and turned back quickly to urge Lisa and Ben over. They nodded and quickly made their way to Dean’s side.

“Ben, do you think your Uncle Sammy’s gotten taller?” Dean stated, not taking his eyes off his brother.

Ben smiled up at Sam, and Sam returned the smile. “How you doing, Ben?”

“I’m okay.” Ben smiled.

Sam nodded happily and turned his attention to Lisa. Dean removed his hand from his brother, and Sam took a step towards Lisa and wrapped his arms around her. “Nice to see you again, Lisa.”

“You too, Sam.” She hugged happily back.

Once they parted, Sam looked down to the 3 suitcases and 2 bags around them. He chuckled at the sight and rolled his eyes. “You’re not moving here, are you?” Sam laughed, as he asked his brother.

Dean followed his brother’s eyesight and chuckled. He sometimes did wish that he had moved with his brother to California. Start a new life, away from the people he had known all his life – away from the heartbreak and memories. But he had a job back in Kansas, and a life, Dean knew he couldn’t just start all over again; it just wasn’t him. “Yeah, you wish.”

Sam scoffed and took 2 of the suitcases for himself, as he waited for the 3 to grab one piece of luggage for their own. They all muttered a thanks and turned back to face the exit of the airport. They were exhausted and were so grateful that Sam had offered their house to them, instead of staying in a measly motel room. Luckily for Sam, his house had 2 spare rooms. Which Dean, Lisa and Ben were staying in the first spare room and another _guest_ was staying in the second.

 

Sam had his own car now, a reasonably sized one. A family car, maybe? Dean smiled at the thought of a little Sammy running around again, “nice car, man.” He said to his little brother, as he looked around the car. But before Sam could reply, Dean turned around to face the back seats and checked on Ben. “All belted up?”

Ben nodded, and Dean proceeded to check on Lisa, who sat next to her son in the back. She was all belted up, and his attention was then brought back to Sam. He was wearing a green and blue check shirt, with his old brown jacket and blue jeans. He hadn’t changed at all, though now he seemed happier. He seemed happy now that he had his own life and wasn’t under the pressure of following in his brother and father’s footsteps. Well, his line of work was related. Sam was a lawyer, Dean was a detective and their father, John, had also been a detective. That was one of the main reasons why Sam moved to California, to follow his dream of becoming a long term lawyer, someone to help people who couldn’t help themselves. That was the way Sam was, he always wanted to help. Even if it was just helping an elderly cross the road, he would jump at the chance to help someone – to give someone the justice they deserved. And that was one of the reasons why Dean missed his younger brother; he missed his big heart and words of approval, he missed everything about his little brother.

“I was thinking,” Sam said, bringing Dean back to reality, as he drove, “we need a catch up. We have a lot we need to talk about.”

Dean looked at his brother and knew what Sam was talking about, as guilt was tinged in his eyes. “Yes, we do.”

“There’s a bar down the road. We can have something to eat and go for a couple of drinks, if you’d like?” Sam answered, looking back at Dean and then the road.”

“Of course, man.” Dean smiled slightly.

 

 

Once they had reached Sam’s house, Amelia stood at the door waiting to greet them all. She had only met Lisa and Ben once and was slightly worried – not because they had only met once, but because of Cass. She was worried that Lisa wouldn’t get on with Cass because of his past with Dean and then she would want Dean to leave, and possibly make him stop talking to Sam, and she didn’t want that at all. She waved wearily at the people in the car, as it parked in her drive next to her friend’s car. They all got out of the car and unloaded their luggage before walking to the house and greeted Amelia.

“So nice to see you both!” Amelia said happily, as she greeted Lisa and Ben, welcoming them to their home.

“You too, Amelia.” Lisa smiled.

“Amy, please.” Amelia replied.

Lisa nodded and waited for Dean to arrive at the door before walking in with Ben. Dean put down the suitcase and bag he was holding, once he reached them, and pulled Amelia into a bear hug. Amelia laughed happily as she hugged the man back, she was glad Dean was here, she knew how much he meant to Sam and how badly he missed his older brother. Once they had parted, it was Sam’s turn to say hello. He placed a soft kiss on her lips before walking inside, with Amelia by his side, and the other 3 following closely behind.

The house was fairly big. They were first greeted with a closed door on their left and then the dining room and adjoining kitchen on their right, and then the stairs straight ahead. They all walked into the dining room and set their bags down by the doorway, before finding a seat at their table that seated 8.

“There are 2 beds set up in the spare room, Sam will show you all up when you’re ready.” Amelia said with a smile.

“Thank you, so much.” Lisa answered with a smile to match Amelia’s.

“Me and Dean are gonna go out after dinner for a couple of hours.” Sam said, smiling at his brother.

Amelia smiled at her fiancé, “why don’t you go out for something to eat?”

Sam and Dean turned to face each other, and Sam raised his eyebrows. “Up to you, man.” Dean shrugged.

They stared at each other for a few seconds, before both nodding; which gained a laugh from the two women.

“What?” The men asked in sync.

“Do you two have a secret, brotherly code or something?” Amelia laughed.

“Yes, ma’am.” Dean smiled proudly.

Sam laughed and stood up. “I’ll show you to the room and then we can freshen up before we go, if you want.”

Dean nodded, before standing up next to Sam. “Always were the perfect host, weren’t you, Sammy?”

Sam rolled his eyes mockingly, before gesturing towards his brother for him to follow him, and led him upstairs. But, before they got to the stairs, Sam put his finger to his lips and pointed towards the closed door that was on their left, telling him to be as quiet as possible. Dean nodded with furrowed eyebrows, and felt inclined to ask him what it was about – once they were upstairs.

They quietly walked up the stairs, and once they were safely upstairs, Dean looked around and saw 5 closed rooms. The walls were painted white and a few pictures were hung up on the walls – one especially stuck out. It was a picture of him and Sam when they were younger; Sam’s 13th birthday. Dean smiled at the memory and then felt eyes burning into the side of his head. He turned to see Sam staring at him with wide eyes. “My 13th birthday.” He said quietly.

“You cried the night before. You were so scared of growing up.” Dean said, remembering all the details.

Sam laughed and nodded towards the closed door closest to Dean. “That’s your room, there’s a bathroom in there.”

“Thanks, man.” Dean said with a smile, putting his hand on his brother’s shoulder.

Sam nodded in reply, before turning away and heading towards his room, the furthest room away from Dean’s. “Hey,” Dean said quickly before Sam went into his room.

Sam turned around to face his brother with his hand on his door handle. “What’s up?”

“He’s in the lounge, isn’t he?” Dean asked with a low voice.


	4. Chapter 4

Dean cheered as his younger brother downed the pint of beer. Altogether, they had drunk 8 shots, 3 and a half pints of beer and a bottle of bourbon. It was safe to say they were definitely _tipsy_. The food, however, did sober them up a little. They had an extra stacked burger each, with extra fries, and a large shake. Once it was put down in front of the men, Dean chuckled and rubbed his hands together as Sam thanked the woman. “Just like our road trip days, ay, Sammy!”

Sam laughed at his older brother and they began to eat, they sunk into their seats with pleasure as the burger filled the men’s senses. “This is a damn good burger,” Dean moaned.

“Definitely,” Sam replied with a grin.

Dean swallowed the piece in his mouth, before he looked steadily at his brother. “so, Cass?”

Sam gulped the food down, “I’m sorry. I should have told you, I just didn’t want you to cancel,” he frowned.

“I wouldn’t cancel, Sam. There’s no way in hell I would miss your wedding, even for an ex,” Dean smiled.

“It’s gonna be so awkward,” Sam laughed.

“Yeah, and a ‘lil more. Lisa thinks Castiel is a girl’s name, and she doesn’t know he’s gonna be at the wedding – or that they’re in the same house,” he placed a couple of fries in his mouth with a guilty look and a shrug.

They younger man laughed and apologized once more, he did feel bad for his brother. He felt terrible, in fact, Sam was upset that the first time in months he had seen his brother, that there were going to have other people surrounding them – especially when one specific person caused Dean so much pain.

 

After they had finished their food, and drunk the last of their drinks, they decided to call it a night. It wasn’t that late, it was only 11 pm when the cab dropped them off at Sam’s house. As the 2 intoxicated men walked up to the front door, they noticed the front room’s light was still on. “Amy and Lisa are still up,” Sam said, clearing his throat.

“Shit,” Dean cursed, as he realized that both men were still drunk, “they’re not gonna trust us again.”

Sam laughed at his older brother and unlocked the front door, “come on.”

They stood up straight, trying to seem as sober as possible, and they walked into the house and Sam closed the door behind them. The 2 men entered the room to their left, the lounge, and saw the 2 women sitting on the bigger couch with a glass of wine in hand. They looked at the 2 drunk men and raised their eyebrows, “good night?” Lisa asked.

The room was fairly big, and had 2 black couches. The bigger one was against the left wall, and the smaller couch was against the back wall, on the right side of the door. The walls were painted white, and there was a small armchair in between the big fireplace and window. A black coffee table sat in the middle of the room, on top of a white rug.

“Very,” Sam smiled, putting a hand on his older brother’s shoulder.

Lisa’s eyes then flickered up to Dean, “Ben’s in bed. He said goodnight.”

“What time did he go up?” He asked, as Sam removed his hand.

“A couple of hours ago, the flight tired him out,” she said with a soft voice.

Dean nodded and then something, or _someone_ , caught his attention. He looked to the right of the room and saw someone sitting on the smaller couch, a man. Dean’s breath hitched in his throat, whilst he felt a sudden _bang_ and a _crack_ in his chest, and a whole in his stomach. The room spun whilst his head whirred, his throat was dry and all the moisture from his mouth disappeared – his drunken state disappeared almost instantly as his eyes fell onto the man. Onto Cass.

“Hello, Dean,” Cass croaked.

Cass was also in the same state as Dean, though his shock had died down as he saw Dean as soon as the cab pulled up outside.

“Nice to see you again, Cass,” Dean said, mustering a smile.

Dean tried his hardest to seem happy to once again see the man, but he wasn’t. He was the complete opposite. Seeing Cass again brought back all the memories he had tried for years to forget, the pain was inevitable – and God, did he want it to stop.

Cass smiled up at the man, but guilt was evident in his eyes. Seeing Dean also brought back the pain, the guilt tore him up inside.

“Ah, Amy, is there anymore wine?” Sam asked, trying to divert the attention.

All eyes were then turned to Sam and Amelia. “Um, definitely not,” Amelia replied.

“We didn’t even drink that much,” Sam frowned.

Dean scoffed, “no. _I_ didn’t drink that much. You, on the other hand, might as well have downed the whole bar.”

The 3 people watching the 2 brothers laughed. The tension was lifted, and became light and cheery. “What do you mean?” Sam gawked at his brother.

“Pretty damn obvious, don’t you think?” Dean teased.

“I didn’t drink that much,” Sam groaned.

Amelia laughed at her soon-to-be husband, before passing him her glass of wine, “here.”

Sam smiled at the woman and walked towards her, taking the glass and pressing a light kiss to her forehead, “I love you.”

“I love you, too,” Lisa smiled sweetly, before looking back to Dean, “sit down you two.”

The 2 brothers nodded and proceeded to sit on the couches, Dean sat next to Lisa, raising his right arm and putting it behind her and it rested along the top of the couch. And, Sam sat next to Cass on the smaller couch. The 5 people spoke, laughing and reminiscing – though, Cass and Dean only spoke when spoken to.

“So, Dean, tell me about your job?” Amelia asked, and everyone looked to Dean.

Dean sat up, and Lisa smiled at the man, as he winked at her, but before he could reply to Amelia, his phone rang in his pocket. He quickly took it out, and sighed, “speaking of the devil.”

“Jo?” Lisa asked.

“Yeah,” Dean replied, “excuse me.”

The group nodded and he answered the call, “Winchester.”

“Ah, Winchester. Do you have that case file on you?” Jo asked.

Dean looked around the room, and saw his brown messenger bag sitting near the window. He stood up and walked towards it, grabbing the file out. He felt eyes burning into his skull as he moved, “I do now.”

As Lisa saw the file in his hands, she glared at him, “you brought a case, seriously?”

Dean turned to face the woman and shrugged apologetically.

“Check it for me. Check the M.O.,” Jo spoke.

Dean narrowed his eyes, before putting the phone against his ear and tightly held it with his shoulder as he used both hands to flick through the pages, “got it. What about it?”

“Remember the case from a few months back? The one with _Skullhoarder_?” Jo asked with a slight tinge of excitement in her voice.

He thought for a moment, before sighing and closing the case file, he put it back into his bag, “Harvelle, you’re supposed to be going on vacation. Take a break. I’ll look through this case whilst I’m here, and then I’ll check the other when I’m home. You’ll make yourself sick again.”

“We’ll talk about the case when I see you, then?” She asked.

A chuckle escaped his lips. “sure thing. But only if I take the lead in this one? I’m sick of you stealing my spotlight, princess.”

“You wish, Winchester,” Jo laughed.

“I’ll see you soon, Harvelle,” he smiled, before ending the call.

He put his phone back into his jean’s pocket, before looking up to the group. They were all staring with raised eyebrows, including Cass. “What?” Dean asked, looking to each person.

“You brought a case?” Sam asked.

“Only to read on the plane. It’s been unsolved for a month now. Jo wants us to try and solve it before we lose all the evidence,” Dean shrugged.

“It couldn’t have waited?” Lisa asked, folding her arms.

Dean smiled widely at Lisa, before rubbing his hands together, “see, if I did that, then Jo and I wouldn’t have found a lead.”

Lisa teasingly rolled her eyes and smiled at the man, before he sat back down next to her. But, he turned to his brother and saw him staring at him with raised eyebrows and wide eyes. “What?” Dean asked, like before.

Sam laughed, “you haven’t changed at all.”

“That is not true,” Dean groaned.

“Yes, it is,” Sam laughed before pointing at Cass, “hey, Cass, back me up here.”

Cass stared at Sam in shock at the sudden outburst before smiling, “I agree with Sam.”

Sam laughed once again and grinned at Dean triumphantly, as Dean laid back into his seat and shook his head. “Lis?” Dean asked.

“Sorry, honey, I never knew you as a teenager,” Lisa smiled.

The rest of the group laughed, but were then interrupted by a small voice. “I think you’re better the way you are now, Dean.”

They all looked to the door and saw a half-asleep Ben standing in the doorway. Dean smiled widely at the boy and stood up, before quickly heading towards him. Ben opened his arms, as Dean reached for him and picked him up in his arms, hugging the boy tightly. “Hey, buddy.”

“Hello, Dean,” Ben replied with a tired voice.

The 4 people behind Dean and Ben smiled at the sight, including Cass. He thought it was nice to see Dean so comfortable with a partner and a child, and so did Sam. Sam was so glad his older brother was happy, after so many years of heart break and pain, he was finally happy.

“Did we wake you?” Lisa asked, as Dean placed Ben back onto his sock covered feet.

“No,” Ben smiled.

"Do you want to sit down with us, Ben?" Amelia asked with a soft smile.

Ben nodded sleepily, before Dean led him to where himself and Lisa sat, putting Ben down in the middle. Lisa stroked the boy's cheek with a soft smile before speaking softly and pointing towards Cass. "This is Cass, Ben. He went to school with Sam and Dean."

"Hi," Ben mumbled nervously.

"It's nice to meet you, Ben," Cass smiled.

Dean watched the interaction with nerves exploding in his body, but once he saw Cass' smile, they went away, just like they used to. The smile brought back memories, memories he longed to forget. He was dragged out of his thoughts once Ben spoke to him, "you never told me about him in your stories?" Ben asked.

"Because I was the cooler one," Dean lied.

Cass scoffed, "I made him cool."

Dean then, for the first time all night, spoke with ease at Cass, "hey, that's not true. I was the cool one and you were my dorky sidekick."

The people around them laughed, and Ben spoke once more to Dean, "was he your best friend?"

"Yes," Dean answered, forcing the sadness out of his face.

"Then why don't you talk anymore?" Ben asked, tilting his head as he looked at Dean.

The man thought for a moment, he thought for an answer that wouldn't upset him nor Cass, and then one that wouldn't make him a liar. "We drifted apart after college. We both wanted different things."

"Ah," Ben nodded, before turning to face Cass with excited eyes, "are all the stories true?"

"I assume so," Cass chuckled.

"What about the one where he was out on a date, and some car bumped him from behind, so he got out and convinced the man to pay for the rest of their date?" Ben asked.

Dean and Cass caught eyes and guilt washed over both of the men, before Cass gulped subtly and looked back to Ben, forcing a smile on his lips, "yeah. Dean wouldn't stop talking about it for weeks."

Ben and the rest of the group laughed, "why was he so angry?" Ben asked.

Cass smiled at the memory, "if you're thinking it was about his date, it wasn't. It was about his car."

"What?" Lisa asked loudly, looking at Dean with wide eyes.

"Hey," Dean said defensively, "that car is my baby."

"So you made a poor stranger pay for your date because of a little scratch? You tell your car you love it more than me, you even said goodbye and told it you loved it yesterday before we left." Lisa asked with an amused, and shocked grin.

"Hell yeah. And for the record, it was a whole lot more than a damn scratch," Dean replied loudly.

"There's something seriously wrong with you, Dean," Sam laughed, "that car is far past her due date."

Dean pointed with a warning finger at his brother, who still sat next to Cass, "don't you talk about my baby like that. Do you still want me to be the best man or not?" 

The group laughed at the man's childish behavior. Even though Cass laughed, his head was spinning. The shock of Dean telling them nothing about him confused him, but then realizing that he _had_ told them about what they did together and all the things they had witnessed. His heart was thumping violently against his chest, and, God, did he want it to stop. The memories caused more guilt for Cass, and he knew Dean could see it.

* * *

_Dean was driving himself and Cass to their second date. They were on the way to movies, and laughter and warmth filled the car. Their relationship had progressed since the first date, considering the date was 3 weeks before the second one; they hung out every day, longer than before, and stayed on the phone much longer than before. The 2 boys touched each other at every moment they got - regardless if it was kissing, hand holding, hugging or even just a supportive hand on the shoulder in public. Neither of the boys were ready to make their relationship official to the rest of the people at school; and so only their immediate families knew. It took a while for Cass' family to become used to the idea of their youngest member of their family being a homosexual, but they loved him nonetheless._

_And so, as Dean drove, they spoke about the upcoming midterms and Cass was trying his hardest to convince Dean that just winging them weren't going to cut it again, and that they needed to work out a revision timetable they could both stick to. "You do that, Cass. I'll just watch you, that's the only thing I need to look at more than once," Dean said with a wink as he looked at the man, before looking back to the road._

_Cass laughed at his statement, and rested back into his seat. The rain was lightly tapping against the car, and Cass watched as the droplets raced down the window. The clouds were a dark grey, and the heaters warmed up the car, Dean was softly humming along to the radio - it was so relaxing. Dean then pushed his foot down slowly on the brake, as he stopped at the red light, once he had stopped, he noticed in the rear view mirror that a car a few yards behind them wasn't stopping. Dean knew the driver was struggling to stop, and quickly turned to Cass. "Do you have your belt on?"_

_Cass looked to the man, before looking down to where the belt should have been. Dean quickly lunged forwards and grabbed Cass' belt, and securely locked him in. He then put his arm safely in front of Cass, and then braced himself. "Dean?" Cass asked worriedly, looking down to the arm guarding him. But then he felt the impact, and he lunged forwards but was stopped by his seat belt and Dean's arm in front of his chest. Once he was thrown back into his seat, he looked to his left and saw Dean wasn't wearing his seat belt, but was leaning towards Cass to protect him as much as possible. He had banged his head on the steering wheel, and his nose was bleeding. "Dean?" Cass asked again, louder this time._

_Dean looked up and quickly to Cass, "are you okay?" He asked worriedly._

_"I'm fine. Are you?" Cass replied fearfully._

_Dean nodded before removing his arm from in front of Cass, and used it to wipe the blood off his nose. He groaned at the sight of the blood, before anger filled his veins. "If that son of a bitch has done anything to you - or to my car, I'll kill him."_

_"Dean, calm down," Cass hushed._

_"Hell no," Dean replied quickly, rubbing his hands together before opening the car door and getting out._

_The man who was driving the car was also getting out of the car. He was wearing a business suit, and was shorter than Dean, his face was overpowered with guilt and fear, "oh my God," he muttered repeatedly._

_"What the hell, man?" Dean asked loudly, slamming his door shut and walking to the man._

_"I'm so sorry! My brakes were playing up," the man replied with a gulp._

_The anger was doubling inside of him, "you could have seriously hurt us, man."_

_"I'll pay for the damage, I promise!" The man moaned loudly._

_Dean's eyes widened at what the man said, he quickly walked around to the back of his car and saw where the strangers car was indented into his own. "Shit!" He groaned loudly._

_The man fondled in his pockets and took out his wallet, he took $500 as he furiously repeated his apology and shoved it into Dean's hands._

_"I can't take your money," Dean sighed angrily._

_"Yes, you can. Please take it," the man spoke quickly, tears forming in his eyes._

_Dean sighed in defeat at the man's pleading eyes, before taking the money, "fix your brakes, okay, man."_

_The man nodded viciously, "I will. I'm so sorry!"_

_He shook his head, before walking back to the front of the car, opening the door and getting in. Cass was staring at him with a cocked eyebrow, "you took his money?"_

_"That bastard could have killed you. He's paying for our date with this," Dean sighed, restarting the engine._

_"Dean, we're only going to the movies?" Cass replied confusedly._

_He laughed in reply, "now we're not. I'm taking you to the fanciest restaurant in town."_

_"He gave you the money for your car, Dean. Don't waste it on me," he shook his head._

_"I'll use the money from my job to fix my car. You're more important to me than a car," Dean smiled at the man, before turning back to face the road and started to drive._

_Cass' lips slowly turned upright in a smile, and he placed his hand over Dean's, as it sat on the steering wheel. "I love you."_

_Dean quickly shot around to look at Cass, shock evident in his eyes, he gulped nervously and then grinned widely at the man, "I love you, too."_

 


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hate that I started writing Castiel's name as Cass, I know it's supposed to be like that - but I deeply regret it now. Oh well, it's too late now.  
> Thank you if you're still reading, I know I'm not the best at keeping it up to date, but I'll try even more now that I have finished my first load of exams. But in all seriousness, thank you to whoever is reading. It truly means so much to me. 
> 
> I'm thinking of finishing my other piece soon, not abruptly, but quickly. So, if you do get bored of this one, then head over and read that one. Thank you.

"So, how's things with Cass?" Sam asked Dean, as they paced the garden. The women had heard a noise when they were cleaning and getting ready for bed, and so Sam and Dean headed outside to check things out, even if it was 2 am.

Dean pointed his flashlight towards Sam, and shrugged his shoulders. "Fine. We've not really spoken."

The younger, yet taller, man walked over towards Dean and smiled, "thanks for trying, Dean. It means a lot to me, and Amy."

Dean smiled in response, because, honestly, he didn't know what else to do. Seeing Cass brought back so many memories, and so much pain. Dean had spent _years_ trying to forget Cass and to forget the pain he had left him in, and now Cass was there - acting if nothing had happened; and, God, did that anger Dean. But then, before Dean was to declare the house and garden safe, there was a noise. The noise came from behind the fence of Sam's garden, and it sounded as if someone had stood on a twig. Sam and Dean spun around to face the end of the garden, and shone their flashlights toward the noise. "Did you hear that?" Dean whispered.

"Yeah," Sam replied, just as quietly.

Dean took a quiet and slow step forward, keeping his eyes firmly ahead. "Go inside and get my bag, make sure everyone else is in a room with the doors closed," he whispered.

Sam stared at his brother and shook his head, "I'm not leaving you, Dean."

"Sammy, now. I need my bag," Dean hissed through clenched teeth. Sam ran a hand through his hair before sighing and quickly, but quietly, making his way back to the house. Once he was inside, he closed the door, and saw as Lisa, Amelia, Cass and Ben all stood there, staring and waiting. Sam ran his hand through his hair once more, before taking a deep breath.

"Dean needs his bag, and he wants you all in a room somewhere out of sight," Sam nodded with a calm tone.

"What's going on?" Lisa asked, protectively putting an arm over Ben. "Is Dean okay?"

Sam nodded quickly, before urging everyone out of the room, "he's fine. He just wants to look over the garden and make sure everything is okay." Sam pushed all 4 of the group into the living room, and stalked his way over to Dean's bag which sat in the corner. He picked it up and looked inside, finding a very _real_ gun sitting at the bottom. He gulped before pressing the bag tightly against his stomach. He then looked up at the group and smiled. "Everyone needs to stay in here and keep the door closed, okay?"

"Sam?" Amy asked, with her heart beating rapidly in her chest.

Sam walked over to his fiancee and smiled, before resting a kiss on her forehead. Amelia smiled and closed her eyes as she felt the warm, familiar sensation that arose from Sam, but also from the scent of his body and clothes that swam around in her senses. Once he pulled away, he ruffled Ben's hair and smiled at Cass and Lisa, as they all stared at him with worried eyes and fear filled stomachs. "We'll be right back, okay." Sam said, before quickly walking towards the exit of the room.

"Sam, do you need a hand?" Cass asked with a low and brave voice. But Sam turned to face the man with soft eyes, and shook his head with a warm smile.

But before he left the room, there was a loud shout from the garden, "Sammy, I need that damn bag!" Sam turned to face the rest of the group, before he ran through the house and out into the garden to his brother.

 

Dean listened to Sam's footsteps as he made his way back into the house. Once he heard the kitchen door close, locking him outside, he quickly entered his calm and collected state of mind. He knew that panicking and succumbing to fear wouldn't help anyone, and so he felt the adrenaline kick in. His heart thumped quickly in his chest and it echoed in and around his head, as he took another step forwards. He took another step as he heard another twig snap. Dean slowly reached behind him, in his waistband, before realizing that he had sent Sam to retrieve the gun. Dean was left unarmed, in the dark with an intoxicated body, though he felt he had sobered up quite quickly. Once again, another twig snapped, and then another, and another. They were quickly nearing Dean, and he could hear the slow and deep breaths that escaped the shadows. Dean then clenched his jaw before shouting, "Sammy, I need that damn bag!"  But as soon as the words escaped his mouth, Dean lunged forwards and grabbed the creature in the shadows. The creature fell into Dean, and scratched and punched as Dean held him tightly. Dean then grabbed the shoulders of the creature and threw him over his own shoulders, and heard as the thing fell straight onto his back behind him. Dean then quickly turned around and lunged down towards the thing, digging his knee straight into his chest. He looked at what the creature was and saw a man. A man. A man in his twenties and was deemed fit, he was seething with anger and threw his fist into Dean's gut. Dean remained still and stared at the man with an angry glare, before the man threw another punch. And then another, straight in the nose. Now that, that took Dean off guard. He subconsciously threw his hand over his nose in pain, as he felt the blood drip into his hand. Before the man underneath him raised his leg and kneed Dean in the back, and punched him once again in the gut and then in the jaw.

"You son of a bitch," Dean growled, but the man underneath him then pushed Dean and their bodies were quickly flipped. As Dean was then the body on the ground, as the man held him in his place. Dean stared up at the man before growling once more, and then threw his hand into the air and it quickly found its place around the man's neck. He tightened his grip and the man pulled and scratched at his hands, but Dean slowly got up, still holding the man's neck. As he stood up, Dean welcomed his strength and the man found he was being raised off the ground, and was being held up by Dean gripping his throat. "Okay, okay. You win, let me go!" The man cried, straining his voice as he struggled to breathe.

"Who are you?" Dean asked, with dark eyes.

"I live a couple of blocks away. There was news Dean Winchester was in town, and I wanted to see if you were really as good as they say you are," he gulped.

As Dean held the man, he loosened his grip around his throat, though he still held him in the air. "Are you going to come back here again?" He growled.

"No, sir. I promise!" The man cried.

"And what are you gonna tell your little friends?" Dean asked, slowly lowering the man.

"That you're as good as everyone says. No one will bother you again, sir," the man cried and nodded furiously.

Dean smiled darkly, "that-a-boy." He quickly released the man from his grip, and watched as he fell to the floor, before scrambling up and quickly running away, tripping over his feet as he did so. Once Dean was certain the man had gone, he turned around and saw Sam, Amelia, Lisa, Ben and Cass all staring at him with wide eyes. They were all standing closely together near the edge of the garden. "What?" Dean asked.

Sam stammered and his mind was foggy, but he soon thought of what to say. "Dean, you could have killed that man with your bare hands!" Sam took a step towards his older brother and his eyes were full of confusion.

"And your point is?" Dean asked, he wasn't aware of why everyone was looking at him so weirdly.

"And," Lisa butted in, "you could have _killed_ him with your _bare hands_. When the hell did that happen? And why do kids in different parts of the country know who you are?"

Dean shook his head and smiled innocently, before Ben quickly ran towards him. "Dean, that was so cool! I totally should have recorded that and shown it to all the boys at school. Can you teach me to be that strong? He was hanging off the ground, man. You were on the floor, and you just picked him up with his throat - with one hand!"

Dean laughed at the boy, before ruffling his hair. "See, Ben, that's why your mom thinks I'm a bad influence."

"You are a bad influence," Sam, Lisa and Amelia all replied loudly. Dean looked up with a solemn look, and stared at the three. But something, or someone, then caught his attention. Cass was staring at the man in a way he's never looked at him before. And it erupted something within Dean, but he couldn't look away from him. Neither of the men could tear their eyes away from each other; Cass didn't know what to do. He could hear his heart beat in his ears, and it was the loudest it had ever thumped. His palms were sweating, and his mouth was dry. But still, he couldn't look away from the man whom Dean had become.

Sam, fortunately for the pair, quickly made his way towards his brother and put a hand on his shoulder. "It's 2 am, man. I think we all need to go to bed and get some rest," he spoke slowly and steadily, as Dean's eyes flickered to Sam. It took Dean a few seconds to process what his brother had said to him, but he soon understood and nodded. The alcohol and thirst for sleep sprung into Dean's mind, and he was suddenly aware of how tired he was.

Sam and Dean then looked to the rest of the group and they all shared the same thought, and then quickly made their way back into the house. Sam was the last one to enter the house, and so he locked the door behind him. Once the door was firmly locked, he turned around to the rest and smiled, "everyone ready?"

 

As Dean lay awake, staring at the ceiling, his mind kept going back to the memory of Cass. He couldn't get the image of the way Cass was staring at him out of his head. Dean had saw Cass look at him in many different ways; anger, sadness, fear, love, lust, happiness. But that emotion, he had never seen before. It was so new to him, Cass was so new to him. And then, sudden realization hit. As Dean lay next to the woman he loved, as she slept calmly, and as Ben slept on the bed next to them, Dean realized that he wanted nothing more than to get to know this new Cass. _Maybe_ , he thought, _this Cass wont hurt me again. Maybe this Cass wont leave me, or break me. Maybe this Cass wont run away.  
_ Dean's mind raced, and his pulse quickened as he thought. His breaths were cut short, and soon enough, he felt like he couldn't breathe. He quickly sat up and tried to catch his breath, as his eyes adjusted to the darkness surrounding him. He looked down to his left and saw Lisa sleeping, and he tried his hardest to calm himself so he didn't wake her - nor Ben. Once Dean could feel his body calm and his mind eased, he slowly removed the cover and got out of the bed. With quiet and soft steps, he crept towards the door and carefully crept out of the room. As he exited the bedroom, he pulled the door closed behind him, before he made his way downstairs. He needed water, and some air. Dean knew what was wrong, but the pain inside of him was slowly increasing - however, he didn't have the reason as to why that was. He knew that seeing Cass would remind him of their past, but he didn't expect this reaction at all. He just wanted everything to go back to normal; with himself and Lisa sitting on the couch with a small drink, with Ben sitting on the floor doing his homework, occasionally asking the adults for help.

Dean reached the sink in the kitchen, but before he filled his glass, he sighed and rested his hands against the counter. He just wanted things back to normal. He just didn't want to get hurt again. Or, anymore than he already had been.

"Couldn't sleep?" A gravely voice asked, immediately dragging Dean out of his thoughts, as he spun around to see Cass sitting at the dining table, "sorry, I didn't mean to startle you." He added with a slight smile. Dean stared at the man for a moment, and saw how Cass' hair was sticking up in all the right places and how his tight black top hung onto his body.

"Sorry, I thought everyone else was asleep," Dean stammered, as he tried to ease his mind and stomach.

"They are. It's just us. I don't rely on a lot of sleep anymore," Cass nodded. Dean could now see the dark bags under his eyes, bags that looked like they had been there for years.

"Ah, right. You should probably see someone about that," Dean smiled slightly, before turning back around and picking up his glass. Once his face was out of view from Cass, he pursed his lips and shut his eyes for a couple of seconds as he tried to remain calm. He then opened his eyes once more, and ran the tap. He rinsed his glass a few times before filling it up with the cold liquid.

"What about you? Why are you awake?" Cass asked, once Dean had turned back around to face him, as he leaned back against the worktop.

Dean took a gulp of his water, before placing the glass down next to him and folding his arms around his chest, "just couldn't sleep. One of those nights, I guess."

Cass nodded and the atmosphere soon became _very_ awkward. Neither of the men knew what to say, or what to do. And as Dean finished his water, he placed it in the sink and sighed, before pushing himself off the counter. "Right, I'm gonna head back up and try and catch a couple of hours. I think you should do the same, no one can run on only a couple of hours a week."

Cass looked at Dean, and realization of what he said soon dawned upon both of the men. "That's what you said on the night before our English exam," Cass smiled slightly, as neither of the men looked away from each other.

"I remember," Dean replied breathlessly.

Both of the men smiled as they recalled exactly what happened that night, and soon their cheeks turned a bright crimson color. "Right," Dean coughed awkwardly, tearing each other away from their memories and they nervously looked away from each other, before they both smiled politely and Dean quickly headed back upstairs; leaving Cass alone. Though, as Dean got back into bed, he heard soft - almost angelic like - footsteps come up the stairs, and they stopped outside a room, and a door was then heard opening and closing.


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Short chapter, sorry! But I am already working on the next chapter as it will, hopefully, be a good one. It will also be a longer one.   
> And so that will be why I may take a while to finish this next one.

_"Cass, come on!" Dean moaned, as he stood behind the seated Cass._

_Dean had his head leaning down against Cass' back as Cass sat, staring at his open books. They were revising for finals, and it was nearing 3 am, Dean wanted to sleep but Cass wanted to revise more - considering they had been revising all weekend, and now all Sunday night. "Dean, I need to pass this exam," Cass replied blankly as he continued to ignore Dean's head against his back as he remained glued onto his notes and notepads surrounding him and his desk._

_"I know, Cass, but this isn't healthy. You're gonna pass, I know it. You've studied all weekend and you're just gonna make yourself sick if you don't get any sleep," Dean moaned, once again into Cass' back._

_"Just 10 more minutes," Cass replied as he picked up his copy of Hamlet._

_Dean sighed tiredly and stood up straight, now placing his hands on Cass' shoulders. He gripped tightly and sighed once more, "you said that at 12. And besides, you've remembered all the damn quotes from that play. You've done this all week, staying up till God knows when just to study for a stupid exam that you're going to pass anyway. That was the only reason I made you stay here tonight, to make sure you got a decent nights sleep before an exam. And so you're not grouchy in the morning."_

_The seated man listened to what Dean was saying and sighed, he put his book down and rested back in his chair. He felt Dean's strong fingers rubbing his tense shoulders, he was so tired. He knew Dean was right, he was going to make himself sick - but he needed to pass these finals. He needed to get into college. He needed to go to university, get a job, buy a house, start a family; and he wanted to do it all with Dean. "I need to do this, Dean. I need to grow up," Cass said with a frown before leaning forward and immersing himself back into his studies._

_This shocked Dean as he believed he was getting somewhere with the man, but it was evidently proved wrong. He shook his head and sighed, before removing his hands from Cass and taking a step back, rubbing his head as he did so. He was tired and wanted to sleep, and so with a frown he spoke, "I'm gonna head back up and try and catch a couple of hours. I think you should do the same, no one can run on only a couple of hours a week." As he walked out of his study and up towards his room, he heard a frustrated sigh emerge from within Cass. But after hearing no other sounds, Dean walked up the stairs and to his room. He threw off his jacket before hanging it up and removing his uncomfortable clothes and getting into his warm bed. Dean wanted nothing more than to relax and peacefully sleep in his bed - but he also wanted nothing more than to relax and peacefully sleep in his bed with Cass._

 

_Dean stared up at the ceiling, he wanted to sleep but he couldn't escape his thoughts. Himself and Cass had been dating for 3 months and it was going great, better than great actually - but Dean was scared that all this studying and part-time jobs Cass was invested in would make him ill. Dean was terrified he would watch all the stress get too much for Cass, and he wouldn't be able to do anything to help him. He sighed to himself and looked to the alarm clock on his left as it sat on his bedside cabinet, and he groaned at the sight of the flashing numbers, 3:45. But then as he turned back around to face away from the clock, he heard quiet footsteps emerge into his room; he quickly sat up and saw a very tired and apologetic looking Cass wander into the room. "Have you had enough studying yet?" Dean asked with a cocked eyebrow._

_"I had studied enough yesterday," he muttered quietly as he got into Dean's bed._

_Dean watched as Cass moved closer towards to Dean and pulled him down so he could rest his head on Dean's chest, "I love you, Dean. I only try hard so I know our future is secure."_

_"Cass," Dean began with a short breath, he was shocked that he was the reason why he always worked so hard, he softly placed a kiss on Castiel's head before looking back up to the ceiling, "as long as we're together, it's the only thing that matters to me. I don't care if we don't have the biggest house or best car - if we're living on the streets, I don't care. As long as I have you, I'm always going to have a future."_

_Cass looked up with wide eyes, and stared at the man he loved. "You promise?"_

_"I promise," Dean smiled._

_The smaller, dark haired man smiled widely and closed the gap between the two men with a kiss. And even though the kiss started off as an innocent thank you, it soon turned into something a lot more intimate. As hands moved and groped, Dean pulled away from Cass and breathlessly asked, "are you sure?"_

_The man smiled once again and nodded, "I'm sure. I think it's the right time."_

_And so they kissed once more and they proceeded with what they had wanted to do for many, many years. In all honesty, Castiel would have gotten more sleep if he carried on studying._

* * *

 "Dean Winchester. Get yourself up!" A voice squealed.

Dean groaned and turned onto his stomach, covering his ears, "no." 

The voice groaned louder and dragged the covers away from the man, "Dean! You need to get your damn suit fitted."

"I don't need a suit, it's only an English exam," he muttered into his pillow. 

An embarrassed snort emerged from the back of the room, but Dean took no notice. 

The voice spoke one more time, "It is your brothers wedding - you're not in high school."

Dean thought for a moment before his mind started to clear, and he slowly turned around and sat up - and he was greeted with a very angry looking Lisa. And at the back of the room there stood Sam, Amy, Ben and Castiel. The man rubbed his face for a few seconds before looking back at Lisa, "good morning, baby." He looked at the woman with tired eyes and his  _charming_ smile.

Lisa scoffed and stood back, crossing her arms in the process, "hell no. Don't you baby me. I've been trying to get you up for the last 20 minutes. You're lucky I didn't let your brother spill water on you."

"He would have done it eventually," Dean muttered as he tiredly got up from his bed. He felt all eyes on him and he knew they all had questions, questions he probably didn't know the answer to. 

"You've always been really easy to wake up - what changed?" Sam asked from the back of the room.

"He probably had a dream he didn't want to miss," Lisa huffed. She took a step towards Dean and fixed his hair as it stood up messily. 

"Yeah? What were you dreaming about, Dean?" Amy asked with a smile.

Dean smiled and winked, "wouldn't you like to know?" But as Dean finished speaking, Lisa quickly yet softly slapped Dean's chest, as she glared at him with a cocked eyebrow.

"I think it had something to do with his English exam - he was thinking about it when he woke up," Ben butted in with a small voice. He stood in front of Castiel, but still behind Sam and Amy. Everyone looked at Ben with a smile, all except Dean and Cass, as they tried to think about what he was dreaming about. "Or the night before, maybe?" Ben added.

Dean and Cass quickly caught each others eyes and panic quickly emerged both of the men, "right!" Dean blurted out quickly, "let's get these suits sorted then."

Attention was then, luckily, brought away from Dean's dream and was quickly put onto his suit. As the group began to talk and walk out of the room, Cass and Dean were the last ones in the room and relief was brought upon both of the men. As they both stood there in the room, not knowing what to say, their heats beating rapidly at the same pace. "I still prefer your hair when you've just woken up," Cass muttered quietly before calmly walking out of the room. 

Dean was left in the room shocked and in disbelief. He wasn't sure if those words had actually left the man's mouth, or if he had imagined it - and he didn't know which one he preferred. Dean sat back down on the edge of his bed as he thought about everything that had already happened, but was quickly distracted by Cass popping his head round the door and into the room, "no, you weren't imagining that and Sam wants us both down to talk about the suit arrangements." And he left as quick as he came.

Once again, Dean was left with a rapid beating heart and confused emotions. He sighed and ran a hand through his hair before looking down to his clothes and realized everyone would prefer it if Dean was out of tight jogging bottoms and a tight red top - and so he quickly got changed. 

 

As they all sat in the lounge, 2 conversations were going on. One between Lisa and Dean, and the other between Sam, Amy, Cass and Ben. Lisa and Dean were sat by themselves on the smaller couch isolated as they spoke quietly. "Why are you so tense?" Lisa asked.

"I'm not tense?" Dean whispered.

"You are - ever since we've gotten here you've been acting differently. You're more isolated," Lisa spoke. 

"I just miss my brother, that's all," Dean replied.

Lisa squinted her eyes and pursed her lips, "there's more to it."

The man forced out a laugh as he smiled, "honestly, Lis, I'm fine." He reached forward for his mug of coffee from the table in the middle of the room.

As he took a gulp, Lisa spoke quietly than before, "do you still love me?"

Dean's eyes widened and he coughed and spluttered, causing everyone to look at him. He quickly put his mug back onto the table and stood up as he coughed once more, trying to swallow the liquid that still remained in his throat. "Dean?" Sam asked, as he turned in his seat to face him. 

Dean ignored his brother and stared at Lisa as she remained sitting with wide eyes, "come outside." 

Lisa looked at him with apologetic eyes, but still stood. They both looked at the rest of the group and Dean spoke for them, "we're just going to take a breather." They all nodded in confusion, but watched as the couple walked out of the room and out of the front door. 

"Shoot," Ben gasped.

All eyes were then put onto the young boy, "what's up, Ben?" Amy asked.

"There going to have one of  _those_ conversations," Ben sighed and fell back into the couch. 

The 3 adults looked at each other with confused eyes before turning back to Ben, "what conversation?" Sam asked.

"The conversation where mom asks Dean something she shouldn't in public, and then they go somewhere more private - but Dean never answers the question because he know mom's right, and so does mom. And then they come back acting as if nothing has happened, but then they'll argue about it later tonight when they think we're all asleep." Ben twiddled his thumbs and looked down to his hands as he spoke, he knew it was going to happen - and he felt the need to explain to the rest so they also knew what was going to happen.

"Right," Amy blew out a breath, "don't worry, Ben. Everything will be okay." 

Ben looked to his right and smiled at the woman who sat next to him, "I know, thank you."

Amy smiled back at him as Sam and Cass sat back and rested their head on the top of the couch, they weren't really in the mood to listen to an argument later that night - especially when they both knew how bad Dean truly was at arguments. And so Sam turned to face Cass, "as soon as Dean comes back, we'll go to get our suits fitted." 

Cass nodded and smiled, "sure."

"Ben, would you like to go with the guys?" Amy asked. 

Ben looked at Amy for a second, before reaching up to look outside of the window before sighing and slouching back down, "if they don't mind. I think mom will need a girl to talk to."

"Of course we wont mind," Sam smiled at the young boy. 

"Thank you," Ben smiled. 

"How bad do you think the argument is gonna be?" Amy asked quietly.

The young boy thought for a moment, "pretty bad. They're never out for this long, and Dean looks pretty angry." 

Sam sighed and furrowed his eyebrows, as their thoughts were then interrupted as they all heard the front door reopen, and familiar footsteps followed. All 4 faces looked to the doorway of the room and watched as a defeated looking Dean and thoughtful Lisa entered the room once again. 


End file.
